


Keeping Cool

by SharkGirl



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), College, Comedy, Competition, Cute, Established Relationship, Fluff, Heatwave, Implied Sexual Content, Los Angeles, M/M, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 21:00:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11676990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: Los Angeles was currently in the middle of a heatwave with record highs. Even at night, the baked sidewalks radiated heat, keeping the temperatures from dipping to a comfortable low.And even Kagami, who should have been used to it with his thinner blood, was struggling. He could only imagine how Kuroko felt.Written for the 2017 KagaKuro Exchange.





	Keeping Cool

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChampagneSly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChampagneSly/gifts).



> HAPPY KAGAKURO EXCHANGE, CHAMPAGNESLY!!
> 
> I want to apologize in advance for not having any actual smut in this fic. I had originally planned on incorporating it, but it just didn't seem to fit with the mood and overall flow. I hope you can forgive me and enjoy your gift, anyway!
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely Laura, with some assistance from my dear Crispy~  
> Please enjoy!!

“Kagami-kun…” Kuroko moaned from his place on the taller man’s bed. The lights were off, only the midmorning sun shining through the cracks in the blinds illuminated Kagami’s childhood bedroom. It was their final summer of high school, and both Kagami and Kuroko were in Los Angeles to take a tour of their prospective college campus.

Even though he’d already received a full scholarship to UCLA, Kagami didn’t want that to be the determining factor. Kuroko was willing to leave his family and his home. The least Kagami could do was let him visit the place he’d be spending the next four years of his life.

Their orientation of sorts had only taken a few hours on the second day of their trip – the first had been spent recovering from jetlag – and, with three days remaining, Kagami wanted to show Kuroko everything he loved about what he considered to be his hometown before they had to pack up and return to Japan for graduation.

Of course, the weather had other plans.

Los Angeles was currently in the middle of a heatwave with record highs. Even at night, the baked sidewalks radiated heat, keeping the temperatures from dipping to a comfortable low.

And even Kagami, who should have been used to it with his thinner blood, was struggling. He could only imagine how Kuroko felt.

“Kagami-kun…” he moaned again, throwing an arm over his eyes. “When did they say it would be fixed?”

That was the other thing. Kagami’s parents were both out of town on business and their air conditioner, trusty as it was, had chosen that exact moment to stop working all together. Kagami had called the superintendent immediately, but theirs wasn’t the only apartment suffering such an ill-timed fate, so he’d been put on a waiting list.

“I think she said sometime this afternoon,” he replied and Kuroko let out another, more pitiful sound.

Though, perhaps, Kagami could use this to his advantage. When he’d mentioned going out again – after the day full of walking around the sprawling 419-acre campus – Kuroko had been adamant about staying inside in the ‘glorious manufactured air of Kagami-kun’s room’ – his words.

But now that the A/C was broken, maybe Kagami could persuade the other into visiting his favorite spots around the city. Well, not all of them, since many of them were outside and in direct, sweltering sunlight.

Unfortunately, that meant that streetball was out of the question. The palm trees that lined the sidewalk near the courts weren’t nearly plentiful enough to cast a decent shadow. And going for a jog was definitely off the list. They shouldn’t slack on their training, but it was just too damn hot.

Kagami thought of what else his city had to offer. The beaches were nice, but they were so ridiculously crowded at this time of the year. And he recalled the time he tried to teach Kuroko to surf. He shuddered at the memory. The locals were one thing, but if Kuroko accidentally wiped out into a gaggle of shoobies – conveniently disappearing right after – Kagami could have a lawsuit on his hands.

But there was plenty to do in Los Angeles. Kagami just had to think of something. And fast. Kuroko had rolled over on the bed, burying his face in Kagami’s pillow and groaning loudly. And despite their situation, Kagami found it sort of sexy.

Then again, maybe the heat was starting to get to him. Besides, he was pretty sure his boyfriend would not appreciate being jumped right now. Later, when the air was back on, maybe. But not now.

“Kuroko,” he called, catching the other’s attention. “What do you say we go out-” another groan “-and get some ice cream?”

Kuroko perked up, craning his neck to look over his shoulder at Kagami. “Do they have milkshakes?”

 

The boardwalk was busy, but not as overly crowded as Kagami would have thought. Kuroko walked beside him, his steps sluggish. He was wearing one of Kagami’s mother’s wide brimmed sunhats and enough sunscreen to survive a trip to Mercury.

But Kagami dared not laugh.

They made their way over to the busiest stand. There was a line out the door, but Kagami knew it would be worth it. And after baking under the midday sun, they finally made it through the doors.

The temperature inside wasn’t much cooler, probably due to the amazing amount of people packed inside, sweating and breathing. But Kuroko only swayed once, bumping his shoulder into Kagami’s chest before he righted himself, muttering a quick apology. Kagami wrapped his arm around his shoulders, keeping him steady as they moved  toward the front of the line.

Finally, it was their turn.

“ _How may I help you?_ ” a cheerful girl asked from behind the counter. Under normal circumstances, Kagami might have suggested that Kuroko use this as an opportunity to practice his English. Especially considering that he’d be speaking it almost exclusively once school started in the fall.

But it was much too hot and Kagami was nothing, if not a gentleman.

“ _Two dipped cones, a Choco Taco, and a banana split_ ,” he ordered.

“ _Very good, Sir. Your total will be-_ ”

“And what do you want Kuroko?” he turned to his boyfriend, barely noticing the cashier’s eyes widen.

“Just a vanilla shake, please, Kagami-kun,” he said and then added. “A large one.”

“ _And two vanilla shakes_.”

They feasted upon their treats on a bench outside. Kagami had made the right call because, just as he’d heard the telltale hollow slurping sound, he handed Kuroko his second shake.

“Thank you.” Kuroko pulled out his straw and popped it through the lid of the new cup, bringing it to his lips and humming contentedly.

Kagami bit back a smile at how cute Kuroko looked then, wearing the oversized hat, his cheeks still stained pink from the oppressive heat, and his lips wrapped around the straw. He watched as Kuroko pulled back, his little pink tongue coming out to catch the droplet of shake that was caught on his lips. Kagami followed the motion, his throat suddenly dry.

Now was not the time. Even if Kuroko looked absolutely adorable, it wasn’t worth it to be ignition passed through the bench.

Maybe later. When they’d cooled off properly.

 

A stroll on the boardwalk proved too brutal, so they made their way to the next spot on Kagami’s mental itinerary.

The mall was much less crowded and, thankfully, completely air-conditioned. Kuroko removed his borrowed hat and sighed with relief once they’d made it through the doors.

They had malls back home and Kagami was a little disappointed that they had to waste what little time they had doing something so generic, but if Kuroko was happy, he was happy.

Without realizing it, Kagami had led them straight to a shoe store. Blame it on muscle memory. But Kuroko didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he almost looked excited – not that anyone else would be able to tell, but Kagami had been by his side long enough to notice the subtle differences in the shorter man’s expressions.

Unlike back in Japan, Kagami had no trouble finding his size and ended up buying four pairs of new trainers. Kuroko didn’t say anything, but there was the tiniest hint of a smirk that made Kagami feel an odd mixture of embarrassment and arousal.

Sometimes he wondered if Kuroko knew the effect he had on him. Then again, he was sure he did. Kagami was a hot-blooded eighteen-year-old, after all – nineteen in less than a month – so it was completely natural for him to get turned on by a smile, right?

Ugh, it was too damn hot.

They navigated their way through the rest of the mall, stopping to get freshly made soft pretzels because, ‘Kuroko, you have to try one of these,’ and a few corndogs before they finally made it to a large bookstore just across from the escalators.

Kuroko’s eyes lit up like Christmas and Kagami quickly scarfed down the remaining three corndogs in his hand – he’d been holding them like Wolverine’s claws – and swallowed before elbowing his boyfriend softly in the ribs. “Wanna go in?”

If Kagami was addicted to shoes, Kuroko had a serious book problem. When Kagami finally located him – he’d dashed off immediately – the other man was carrying a pile so high, he couldn’t see over it.

“Think you got enough?” Kagami asked with a chuckle.

“Oh, good,” Kuroko said, glancing at him around the stack before shoving the books into Kagami’s hands. “Hold these, please, Kagami-kun.”

Dumbstruck, Kagami just blinked as Kuroko grabbed even more, adding them to the pile until he finally led Kagami to the checkout counter.

Somehow, Kagami ended up carrying all the bags. Two for his shoes and four for all of Kuroko’s books. “You know,” he began as they made it to a bench in front of the fountain, “You should really invest in one of those e-readers or something.”

“It’s not the same,” Kuroko explained, taking a seat, but leaving enough room for Kagami and his load. “Books have a certain feel…a smell,” he said, a dreamy look overtaking his features. Then he blinked and was back to his usual expression. “Plus, I like the way they feel in my hands.”

Kagami nodded. “That’s fair.” Then he spotted something that definitely hadn’t been at the mall the last time he’d gone. And even knowing that he’d be at an extreme disadvantage, given Kuroko’s misdirection, he couldn’t help but want to play. “Let’s go there next,” he gestured with his chin and Kuroko followed his gaze before raising his eyebrows and giving a small shrug.

“If you’d like, Kagami-kun.”

 

“ _Two for a game of laser tag_ ,” Kagami told the man behind the counter, excitedly bouncing on the balls of his feet as he waited for him to ring them up.

“ _We already have an even number of players on the teams,”_ the man explained. “ _Is it all right if you’re separated_?”

Kagami smirked. He figured it would be just the two of them, but somehow, playing on opposite teams made it all the more interesting. “ _That’s fine_.”

 

His team was comprised of a married couple on vacation, two teenagers from the local high school, and a barista on her lunch break. He was, by far, the most athletic and was instantly nominated to be captain.

“ _Taiga, on your left!_ ” one of the teens shouted and he turned, easily hitting his target. The other man’s chest illuminated bright blue, signaling that Kagami had gotten him. Only one more hit on that guy and he’d be out.

The teams were pretty evenly matched. From what Kagami could see, just before they were thrown into the dark labyrinth that was the playing field, Kuroko had a couple girls a little older than them, a businessman who’d tossed his suit jacket to the side and rolled up his sleeves, and a couple of newlyweds.

So far, Kagami had taken out all of them, save for the businessman and Kuroko – who he hadn’t managed to hit even once.

Deciding it would be wise to eliminate the other target first, he went after the man he’d just hit. He had a minute before the other’s vest activated again, so he’d have to stay hidden until then. He crouched down low, hiding behind a wall, but not taking his eyes off of where he knew the other had gone.

Only a few more seconds and he could take his shot.

He raised his gun and took aim, but he was caught off-guard by his vest lighting up. He stared down at the blinking red light in surprise. “ _Hey guys, anyone see who got me?_ ” he asked into the headset, but got no reply. “ _Guys? Anybody copy?_ ” Still nothing.

Kagami growled and stood back up, blasting the other guy and continuing to move forward. Just then, an announcement came over the loudspeakers.

_‘There is now only one player from each team remaining.’_

Ah, that explained why no one had answered him.

_‘We will now go into Sudden Death mode.’_

Kagami frowned. He didn’t remember seeing anything about that in the instructional video. Then again, he’d been admiring how good Kuroko looked in his black vest.

_‘Each player will have only one shot to fire. If they miss, they’re out of the game. And if they’re hit, they’re out of the game.’_

Whoa, Kagami mouthed. This place was hardcore. But he grinned, his competitive nature overriding everything else. Kuroko was going down.

He quickly moved out of the open, ducking behind a corner where he waited, sniffing the air. He thought he caught a whiff of Kuroko’s sunscreen, the sweet coconut scent filling his nostrils. But when he turned, there was no one there.

It was dark, but his eyes had grown accustomed to the low lighting. He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye and spun around, raising his weapon. But he stopped himself from firing. He only had one shot and he needed to make it count.

Something darted by on his right and he turned. He barely caught sight of the blue glow before he smirked. “Gotcha.” However, after he fired, nothing happened. There was no bright flash of blue light or voice over the speaker announcing his victory.

“Sorry, Kagami-kun.” Kuroko’s voice was right by his ear and then his chest illuminated bright red.

_‘The red team is out of shots and the blue team has made a direct hit. The blue team wins!’_

Kagami heard cheering in the background before the announcement ended and the lights slowly came back on. He blinked as his eyes adjusted and there, right in front of him, was Kuroko. His gun still raised and a small, victorious smile curving his lips.

A delicious shiver made its way up Kagami’s spine. Damn. He couldn’t blame the heat this time.

 

After they’d gathered their purchases, they made their way toward the mall exit. Kagami was just about to hail a cab, when his phone began to ring. Shooting Kuroko an apologetic glance, he answered it. It was his mother. Apparently, the super had her number on file and had called her when the repairs to the A/C were done.

“Yeah, I sort of forgot to mention it,” he said as his mother questioned him as to why he hadn’t thought to call her or his father. She continued on and Kagami looked over at Kuroko, who was waiting patiently for him to finish, already cracking into one of his new books. “Yeah, Mom. I’ll tell him.”

That got his attention. Kuroko marked his page and looked up. “Kagami-kun?”

“Mom wants me to apologize for making you wait in a sweltering, death box,” he said and then added, “her words.” He shook his head. “Anyway, the A/C’s fixed if you want to go back. Or we could-” but he stopped when Kuroko reached out and took his hand, lacing their fingers.

“I’d like to go back home,” he paused, his cheeks tinting a light shade of pink. “If that’s all right with you, Kagami-kun.”

Kagami swallowed, licking his lips before giving Kuroko’s hand a squeeze. “Fine by me.”

 

Butterflies the size of pterodactyls fluttered inside of Kagami’s stomach as he unlocked the door to his family’s apartment. He didn’t know why he was so nervous. It wasn’t like Kuroko hadn’t already spent the night there. But something felt different.

“It’s still quite warm,” Kuroko mused as he brushed past him and set two of the bags down on the kitchen table.

“Yeah, Mom said the super told her it would take a couple hours to cool down,” Kagami explained, pocketing his keys and bringing the remainder of their bags inside. Sweat was dripping down the back of his neck and along his spine, bypassing the small of his back to splash onto the waistband of his basketball shorts.

Gross. 

“Want an ice pop?” Kagami offered, making his way over to the kitchen and opening the freezer door. The cool air hit his face and he couldn’t help the pleasured sigh that escaped his lips at how refreshing it was.

There were four different flavors, so he grabbed one of each and brought them into the living room. He bit back a chuckle when he found Kuroko sprawled out on the couch, one of his books open, but covering his face.

“We’ve got cherry, lime, grape, and orange.” Kagami held them up, even though he knew the other couldn’t see. When Kuroko didn’t answer, however, he picked one at random and pressed it against the side of the other’s neck.

Kuroko sucked in a breath and then glared at him over the top of his book.

Kagami snickered and tossed the ice pop onto Kuroko’s chest. “I hope you like cherry,” he said before walking around the couch, lifting Kuroko’s legs in the air and taking a seat beneath them, letting the other’s calves come to rest on his lap.

He unwrapped the other three and began chowing down, savoring the icy feeling that made his tongue and the inside of his cheeks go numb. He’d worry about the brain freeze later.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun,” Kuroko muttered and opened his own, humming as he wrapped his lips around it. Kagami made the mistake of glancing over. He could go ahead and blame the heat this time, but he knew it was more than that.

It had been a while, what with traveling and all. And they were much too hot – and exhausted – the evening before. So, one really couldn’t blame Kagami for finding the way Kuroko ate his popsicle to be inexplicably sexy.

Kagami swallowed the rest of his and tossed the sticks onto the coffee table just as the telltale clicking and whirring of the air conditioner fan sounded, signaling its return to life. Kuroko, on the other hand, was still working on his. He was now sitting up, nibbling daintily on the ice and using his tongue to lap up any melted droplets before they stained the couch.

Kagami really needed to get his mind out of the gutter, but he couldn’t help himself. He was in his prime, after all, and his boyfriend was too cute for words. It was important to stress the ‘for words’ part because, honestly, if he used that particular phrase to describe Kuroko, he’d probably receive a basketball to the face. Or worse.

When Kuroko finally finished, he set his popsicle stick onto the pile Kagami had already started and then sat back, his legs still in Kagami’s lap and a his red-tinted lips curved up in a small smile.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun,” he said again, only this time there was no hint of annoyance in his voice. And Kagami, unable to resist any longer, lifted a hand and cupped Kuroko’s cheek before leaning forward and pressing their lips together.

He expected to get hit for doing so without asking, but was pleasantly surprised when Kuroko returned the kiss, his now-cool lips brushing against Kagami’s and his tongue darting out to trace the seam.

Kagami pulled back, his eyes wide and his mouth agape.

“Did you not want to?” Kuroko asked, face completely composed. His only tell was a light dusting of pink high on his cheekbones.

“I…” Kagami cleared his throat. “Do _you_ want to?” He probably sounded like an idiot. Obviously Kuroko wanted to kiss him or he wouldn’t have responded.

“Kagami-kun,” Kuroko said, crawling forward so he was sitting in his lap. “I had a very nice time today,” he breathed and took one of Kagami’s hands in his, moving it to rest on his backside.

Kagami swallowed thickly, his gaze shooting up to meet Kuroko’s. “Y-Yeah?”

“Yes.” Kuroko pressed the palm of his hand closer and wiggled his hips, sending a delicious shiver up Kagami’s spine. “Is this okay?” he asked, cocking his head to the side, his pink tongue, still stained red from the ice pop, coming out to wet his lips.

Instead of answering, Kagami leaned forward, kissing those sweet lips. He never really cared one way or another for the artificial cherry flavoring, but now it was slowly becoming his new favorite. He pulled back, only to catch his breath, before finally replying, “More than okay.”

They continued like that, kissing sloppily on the couch, tasting each other. But when Kuroko began squirming in his lap, rubbing against him in the most delicious of ways, Kagami picked him up, earning a surprised squawk against his lips.

Kuroko pulled back, gasping for breath. “Kagami-kun?”

“Bed,” he panted against the side of his neck, peppering little kisses on the exposed flesh. Kuroko only nodded, looping his arms more securely around Kagami’s neck and letting his legs join in, wrapping them tightly around his waist.

After a moment’s struggle of Kagami trying to get his bedroom door open with his arms full of Kuroko, he strode inside, unceremoniously dropping his boyfriend onto the bed. He didn’t give Kuroko any time to complain, though, because he followed right after him, one hand moving to cradle the back of his head and the other coming to rest just below the hem of his shirt.

“May I?” he asked, looking up into Kuroko’s eyes, waiting for permission.

“Yes,” Kuroko answered, taking a shuddering breath. “Please, Kagami-kun.”

With a smirk alluding to more confidence than he truly felt, Kagami leaned down, his lips brushing against the shell of Kuroko’s ear. He grinned when he felt him shiver. “I thought we talked about this,” he whispered. “In bed, didn’t you say you’d call me by my given name?”

When he pulled back, he almost choked. Kuroko was biting at his lower lip, his cheeks flushed and his gaze averted.

“Hey, Kuroko, if you don’t want to, you don’t-”

“Please…Taiga?” He looked up, those beautiful sky blue eyes of his completely clouded. And Kagami swore that he could have died and gone to heaven right then.

“Tetsuya,” he breathed, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in the crook of his neck and shoulder. “I love you.”

He made quick work of both their shirts, wanting nothing more than to feel the other’s skin against his own. They were both covered in a thin sheen of sweat, the room still a little warmer than it should have been.

“Tetsuya…” he repeated, pressing their lips together again before dotting little kisses along his jaw and down his neck. Kuroko’s mouth may have tasted like cherries, but his skin, which still carried the sweet fragrance of his coconut sunscreen, tasted infinitely better. And as Kagami made his way lower, a finger slipping under the waistband of his boyfriend’s shorts, he decided that he had at least three favorite flavors.

 

Sometime later, Kagami awoke to something icy wedging its way between his legs. He gasped, his eyes flying open, and found Kuroko bent nearly in half. His head was under Kagami’s chin and his feet – the frozen culprits – were in his lap, one already lodged between the meat of his inner thighs.

“Kuroko?” he croaked, his voice gruff from sleep.

“Cold,” was all the other said in response as he somehow burrowed even closer.

Kagami chuckled. Apparently, he’d need to adjust the thermostat. But for now, he was content to pull the covers over them and nap a little bit longer. His boyfriend snuggling in his embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> Ah, these two. Kuroko is such a gremlin (but we love him)
> 
> Let me know what you think and hit me up on tumblr [@jubesy](http://jubesy.tumblr.com)!


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